Thomas Henning

Phoebe Estep (’27) competing at The Armory.

Since November, the Flying Dragons, a team of nearly 90 athletes, have competed at various indoor track events. From pole vaulting to the 1000-meter run, these athletes spend long hours at the Armory, a premier indoor track and field facility. Located on 168th Street and Fort Washington Avenue, just one stop on the A train from HSMSE, this old National Guard armory now serves athletes around the world, from high school to professional levels. For the Flying Dragons, every meet is a chance to set a new record for themselves and even our school, giving our athletes motivation to strive for the best. 

As February approached, the Flying Dragons acknowledged that the end of their season was coming, but they weren’t done yet. On February 4, the team came together for the annual borough championships, an intense, high-stakes meet where qualified athletes compete against the top athletes in Manhattan. To no one’s surprise, they placed well, with HSMSE’s boys’ and girls’ teams placed second and third place, respectively. This is especially impressive for the girls’ team since they only carry 24 athletes, over half of other PSAL girl track teams.

Two weeks later, PSAL city qualifiers competed at the armory, with more stringent benchmarks than for boroughs. From the Flying Dragons, 21 athletes competed in 13 events. Despite cities being on February break and the early morning arrival time, the attendees celebrated the success and hard work of these athletes, sharing smiles for incredible performances and hugs for the end of an era. 

Amongst the 21 athletes, eight Dragons medaled. These specific athletes were Cameron Hetherington (’29) and Ananya Mohan (’28), who both came in fourth for pole vault; Aaron Darko (’27), who came in third for triple jump; Andreas Tsatsas (’26), who came in fifth for the 600-meter run; Phoebe Estep (’27), who placed fifth in the 1500-meter run; and last but certainly not least was the boys’ 4×400-meter relay, who came in 6th place.

The Dragons are incredibly proud of the team’s performance and their teammates’ talent. Some worked all season for cities, but a few of the unstoppable athletes reached for the stars and qualified for Nike Indoor Nationals.

Nike Indoor Nationals might take place at the same old Armory that the Dragons practiced at every Tuesday and Thursday, but uniquely the meet is a high school showcase with the nation’s best and rising stars, taking place over four days. When Dragons set the goal for Nike Indoor Nationals, more times than not, they got the opportunity to compete and that’s how it went for Andreas Tsatsas (’26). One of the team’s captains, and a member of the 4×800-meter relay team that went to nationals last year, Andreas has shown immense dedication and drive to achieve this individual goal for the 800-meter run. 

On Saturday, March 14, Andreas raced in the 800-meter run and had an amazing performance breaking the two-minute mark. His new personal record (PR) of 1:59.49 put him in 44th place of the emerging elite category. 

Other athletes from the Flying Dragons include Aaron Darko (’27), who competed in the triple jump, in the emerging elite category. He got a new PR of 43ft and 3.50 inches, coming in 19th overall.

Congratulations to all of the Flying Dragon athletes for pushing themselves to incredible accomplishments. While it may be considered an individual sport, the hard work and drive of each athlete is what makes the team better. Thank you to Coach Henning for supporting the Flying Dragons and we can’t wait to see what Outdoor Track holds.